Aurora, Illinois – In the lead-up to a high-profile murder trial in 1925, Dr. H.S. Hulbert expressed concerns about receiving threats as he prepared to counter arguments that the accused, Warren Lincoln, was not mentally impaired when he committed the heinous crime. Lincoln, a lawyer and florist, stood accused of killing his wife and her brother, though he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The impending trial was expected to be a battle of mental health experts, with emotions running high and even leading experts caught up in the intensity of the case.
Law enforcement authorities summoned analysts from Elgin State Hospital for the Insane to assess Lincoln while he was in custody at the Aurora jail. In the months leading up to the trial, experts delved into the motives and mental state of Lincoln, who had confessed to the brutal crime. Despite efforts to argue for his insanity, the state ultimately concluded that Lincoln was of sound mind and that the gruesome nature of the crime was a calculated attempt to evade justice.
As the trial commenced in January 1925 in a courtroom in Geneva, west suburban Illinois, the prosecution painted a chilling picture of the events leading to the murders. Lincoln, visibly affected by testimonies suggesting his insanity, altered his defense strategy by invoking a nonexistent law to justify his actions. His inconsistent narratives and unreliable accounts puzzled both the court and the public, with some stories verging on the absurd and contradictory.
Witnesses recounted how Lincoln shot his wife and brother-in-law, decapitated them, and disposed of their bodies in a greenhouse furnace. His actions, outlined in a confession, painted a harrowing picture of a man capable of unspeakable atrocities. Despite attempts by his legal team to argue for his mental incapacity, the weight of evidence suggested otherwise, leading to a trial that captivated audiences and elicited strong emotions.
Throughout the proceedings, accounts from Lina Lincoln’s relatives shed light on the pain and horror of Warren Lincoln’s attempts to cover up his crimes. The details of encasing the victims’ heads in cement highlighted the callousness and premeditation behind the murders. Despite the courthouse anticipating a guilty verdict and the death penalty, the jury’s decision of life in prison brought emotional relief for some, marking the end of a tragic chapter in Aurora’s history.
In the aftermath of the trial, Warren Lincoln spent the rest of his days in Stateville prison until his death in 1941. The trial of Warren Lincoln remains a haunting reminder of a dark period in Aurora’s past, where justice was served, albeit with a bittersweet outcome.